Authentic Orange

Submitted by Ricky Aguilar
Living an authentically lifestyle, it is when you are the purest form of you that you can be. You do not join the herd as Nietzsche would have said. You don’t just follow the herd mindlessly. You don’t pretend to be someone who you are not. (Lecture 5/28/15)

Now how live authentically Orange. Now most student at OSU fall into transcendence, they act like what other people think they should act. They try their best to act the part, instead of being authentic. For example, students sometime act in bad faith. They act like a typical college students, always partying and never going to classes. (Lecture 6/2/15). Now a way to live authentically, would just be as easy as being yourself. But for a lot of people this can be scary, because of the feeling of being rejected. As Nietzshe said “In doing so we give up our authenticity and adopt morals and traits that may not be our own” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, pg. 116-119). A way to avoid that would be to, surround yourself with people that will encourage you for being you. This is a good example of the Existential theme 4. (Lecture 5/21/15). Now being in college is a perfect time for living authentically. College is a time to find yourself, to find the purest form of you.

Now being authentically orange, is when you find yourself acting like you and not letting other people choose who you should be. We must always try to live authentically, because it’s the only way to truly be ourselves. But sometimes this can be hard. For example, working at a workplace where they require you dress not to yourself and say things that you would normally say. This could dehumanize ourselves. But if you still act the way that is true to you, you could avoid acting in bad faith. (Lecture 5/28/15). The way I see it, it’s quite simple we should act like kids when we can and act like adults when that’s expected from us. Nietzsche, said that being a child is the purest form of you that you can be. (Lecture 6/4/15). But the problem with this, is that when we are acting like adults. This could be a form of denying facticity, we could be denying the fact that we are not be whom we want to be. I feel that as long as we feel like we are being true to ourselves, we are being authentic.

We need to be nothing but true to ourselves, but also not just do things because other expect us to do them. We should do them because we want to. This can be hard for lots of people, because they are already in the mind set of being in bad faith. This can be hard to break for lots of individuals. But we always have a choice, even when we don’t choice we are choosing not to choose. (Lecture 5/26/15). There is always a choice to be made, but making it is what makes us who we are.

Submitted by Mitchell Monen

To be authentic, in my opinion means to live a life true to who you are and what you believe is right. Being authentic is important because it helps bring out the uniqueness and individualistic properties of oneself. Being authentic can mean different things to different people. For example, Kierkegaard believes that to be authentic you must find your meaning in life through a relationship with God, and by doing so you will find yourself with his guidance (Lec. 5/3). Nietzsche believed to not fall under the power of society and to “not follow the herd” (Lec. 5/5). In todays society, a lot of people seem to hide their self from others because they are afraid of what other people might think or say. I believe that an individual should strive for independence and distinction, not being the same as your counterparts. I will list three tips to live an authentic life.

Tip #1: Find True Friends

Having a group of friends that you feel comfortable around is crucial for living an authentic life. Your friends should know your true self as you should know theirs. Having friends that let you express yourself in a authentic way can help you find your “authentic you”. While growing up, I had a great group of friends that I did practically everything with. From going to school, to getting in trouble (not too much trouble), and experiencing the obstacles in life that one goes through while growing up. If I acted out, or tried to be something I’m not, my friends always noticed and mentioned I wasn’t “being myself”. I think that type of honesty and trueness is important for developing an authentic personality. In Heidegger’s book,  Being And Time (Pg. 227) he mentions the “they-self” as a form of authenticity. People can sometimes be absorbed by the “they” by engaging in a task. I would say the most common form of the “they-self” is gossip. Gossip is very common among student bodies and a lot of kids become engulfed in it. It’s important to notice these actions and not become apart of it.

Tip #2: Explore Your Freedom

Many individuals today don’t use their freedom as much as they should. For example, in America many people don’t use their ability to vote or voice their opinion. The majority of people become apart of the crowd and follow other peoples choices, or believe their participation doesn’t matter in the long run. The truth is, every single persons vote does matter and can influence your everyday lives. Another example of choosing how to use your freedom is choosing your career path. Many people feel they are destined for one particular job or close the doors to other opportunities because they want to take the easy route (Lec. 6/2). My advice would be to figure out what your passion is and fulfill that to the fullest.

Tip #3: Find What You Love

For a long time I was apart of a wrestling team and my dad was one of the coaches. Part of me felt inclined to participate because of my dads involvement with the team and the other part of me just wanted to do something active. I played football and basketball occasionally, but I felt it wouldn’t suffice. I never truly enjoyed wrestling and wanted to find something I really love doing, so I thought about what I love and it’s music. I picked up playing the piano my junior year of high school and simultaneously stopped wrestling. I felt horrible telling my dad I wanted to stop but it was the right thing to do. I haven’t looked back since. My advice to anyone with a similar conflict is to ponder what makes you happy and expand on it.

Authenticity is a important part of the human experience. No one wants to be homogenous with everything around them and act like robots. Having originality and a sense of distinction is important part of being human.